


OVERTALE: A How-To Guide For Living Among Humans

by Sirifall



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Guns, strange rocks named dwayne, will update tags + characters as the story progresses!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-30 02:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5146421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirifall/pseuds/Sirifall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the music that wakes you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't seen enough overtale au, so I kinda made my own. We'll see where this goes!

It's the music that wakes you.

It builds sweetly as you blink into a bright sky, confused and alone as ever, and you look around. You're surrounded by trees – yes, you know what trees are, but wow, you had never really seen them before – and if you strain your ears a bit, you can hear a completely different melody than the one that woke you, that of birds you can't see quite yet. The ground is covered in pine needles and acorns and pine cones and those little rocks that would sometimes fall on your head if you spent too much time in the flowers. The sky is brighter than you ever could have imagined, but you have to wonder just how you got aboveground.

You blink, eyes adjusting, and decide that your placement is something to worry about later. You're here now, in the sunlight and surrounded by sweet music – that's what matters, right?

Speaking of... one fuzzy ear lifts slightly, allowing more of the melody to weave it's way through your thoughts. Should you go see where it's coming from, or investigate your surroundings more?

**???: Look around**

It looks like you're at the foot of a mountain – it might be the same mountain you've been trapped under all this time. You've always wanted to see what it looked like from the surface. Staring at a rocky ceiling gets boring after a while.

What now?

**???: Music**

You suck in a breath, relishing the cool, fresh taste of it and you stretch out your limbs. The sunlight feels absolutely amazing, and when you finally decide to follow it, the music leads to a rolling green-and-brown field. You're kind of disappointed that there aren't any flowers.

There _is_ a man, though. A hu-man, to be precise. He's sitting cross-legged in the very middle of the field, and has a very lumpy bag propped up against his thigh as he strums away at a guitar without much care. You find yourself immediately drawn to him. How should you approach him?

**???: Carefully?**

Right. You have no idea how he'll react to your obvious non-human-ness. Best to take it slow.

You make your way to him, making absolutely no effort to conceal your footsteps – oh, but not stomping, that would probably send the wrong message. When you get to be about twenty feet away from him, he finally notices your presence. The man looks at you from the corner of his eye, and you see it widen in shock. You freeze, wary, but he just nods to you and continues strumming.

**???: Greet**

He stops playing at the sound of your voice. “So you can talk.” One of his hands hovers over his bag, but otherwise he just watches you, turning a little to address you properly. “You're not human, are you?” You shake your head, but he just smiles. “Thought not. Are you some kind of animal then? Or are you a monster?”

**???: Truth**

“A monster, huh?” He glances up at the mountain. “Thought monsters didn't exist. You new to this place, or have you been here all along?”

You shrug. When you think about it, both answers apply. You've probably been in the area much longer than the human, but that doesn't mean you know about the surface.

“You know how things work here, kid? I could teach you, if you want.”

**???: I don't like the sound of this**

What? Nonsense, he's just a friendly human with too much time on his hands. Not only that, but he's offering up some tips for surface life!

You step forward, nodding to him, and he switches positions. His guitar is now on the ground beside him, while the mysteriously lumpy bag is in his lap. Without completely meaning to, you enter a **FIGHT**. The man doesn't seem to notice – that's okay though, none of your attacks would ever let loose without your say-so.

“Well first off, up here, we don't really have magic or whatever your folk use.”

You angle your head in confusion. If humans don't have magic, what do they have?

The answer whizzes past your head, air cracking with a minor explosion as the bullet embeds itself in a far-off tree. You can only blink in shock as the man shifts his bag once more, slowly pulling out a handgun.

**???: Check**

“Guess we didn't get introductions out of the way, huh, kid? Howdy!” He grins. It's terrifying. “Name's Aiden Flowers. Though I guess it doesn't matter much, since you're about to die.”

_Flowers: 300 ATK, 10 DEF. Really doesn't enjoy small talk._

Yeah, you can tell.

 


	2. Toriel

_Yeah, you can tell._

He pays no mind to your **CHECK**. “I mean, who would pass up an opportunity like this – nothing against you personally, kid, but your head would look pretty nice on some loaded billionaire's wall, and then my wallet would be looking pretty nice, too.” He laughs in your face. “Oh don't give me that look! You're a monster! You should know it's either kill or be killed, selective evolution and all that. Survival of the fittest! Well, there are a lot of phrases for it, point is, I'm killing you.” You can't move. You're too scared – the only thing that's still functioning is your tear ducts, which seem to be overflowing.

Turns out, you don't have to move.

“Excuse me.” You both blink. Whoever the new person is, they quickly wrestle the gun away from your assailant and toss it in a direction that is Away From Here. Long, flowing purple sleeves hide Flowers from view, allowing you to quickly look over the new addition without fear.

They're dressed from head to toe in purple – actual head to toe, with some sort of scarf wrapped neatly around their head. They're also quite a bit taller than you, though you find yourself hard-pressed to think of anyone that isn't, and they have an odd rectangular pattern on their robes. You decide not to question it in favor of looking once again to Flowers, who is peeking out at you.

He grins, cheekily nods to your savior, picks up his things and leaves.

You gasp in a breath.

The human in front of you growls. “What a miserable excuse of a man. Are you alright, dear?” They have a kind face – but then, so did Flowers. You consciously decide not to edge away, though. Just because one human hurt you doesn't mean they all would. However, they notice your hesitance. “Oh, don't be afraid, child. Or should I say 'kid'!” They giggle. “My name is Toriel! I pass through here every so often – there's a trail just over that way.” You blink at her outstretched finger, following it but seeing no such trail. Toriel smiles patiently at your confusion. “I can lead you out of these woods, if you'd like?”

**???: I like this one. Do it.**

You scrunch your nose at yourself – but hey, that little voice did say that it didn't trust Flowers, so you guess you'll follow along for now. Besides, it's not like you know the way to civilization – for all you know, the surface is ordered in a completely different way. Is there really another choice?

Toriel glances at the mountain. “Or... would you rather me help you find where you came from?”

You shake your head. Not mentioning how counterproductive that would be, you're not even sure there _is_ a way back – again, how did you end up here in the first place? Unless you somehow learned to fly while you were asleep, you doubt you got here of your own accord. But if that's so, the who could have helped you? And why didn't they stay? This is all very confusing, but you know that there are too many things to learn before you go home. If you go home, that is. You're not sure just what you want to do.

You are sure, however, that whatever it is, it involves being friends with Toriel.

“So you would like to come with me?” She smiles. “Well then, we had better start moving, little one. My home is on the outer reaches of this forest.” You nod, and just like that, she's leading the way to an overgrown path. For a moment, you worry that you see Flowers hiding just a small distance ahead, but when you blink you only see a bundle of bright yellow petals.

-

Toriel's home reminds you of Home. Not in design or coloring, but because of the smell, the feel of it surrounds you and fills you with warmth. Seeing the purple-clad woman pad smoothly around on hardwood floors with the smell of baking pies in the air, occasionally stopping to smile at you or even ruffle at the top of your head... it sends shivers down your spine with the sheer need to live, to see this with your own eyes over and over again for as long as time would allow it.

You are filled with...

…

Nothing.

“Are you alright, little one?” Toriel smiles at your expression. “I'll take that as a 'yes'. Are you ready for dinner?”

-

**???: Look around.**

Your feet itch with the need to keep moving. You look around the house for a door, and finally find the way out – hopefully you can convince Toriel to let you come with her when she goes out shopping, something she's said she would have to do, now that you're here.

But she only purses her lips when you ask.

You ask again. She shakes her head.

You ask again. “Why do you wish to leave? Do you not have everything you need here?”

**???: There's something I have to do.**

You don't know exactly what it is, but there's a certain drive behind your actions – monsters have been held underground for years, and now that you're out, you can't just stay in one house for the rest of your life. There's so much more to see and do, so many more people to meet and things to do. You have a need to explore, to find... something. You have to find something. You have to. You  _ have _ to.

“Nonsense, child, there's...” She blinks, eyebrows furrowing. “... My child, not all humans are as welcoming as I am. I'm afraid I must reject your request.” The betrayal must show on your face, because the next thing you know, she's at eye level and staring in that way that mothers stare when they want a child to behave. “People out there can hurt you. _Will_ hurt you. No, I cannot allow it. You must stay here.”

And with that, she instigates a  **FIGHT** .

You look at her, shocked as she squares her shoulders in preparation. No, you don't want to fight her. You could win,  _ would _ win, if you fought in earnest – humans don't have powers, they can't possibly stand to you without some sort of tool. Toriel has nothing to defend herself with. She doesn't know how much of an upper hand you have.

Or, would have, if you decided to do anything other than dodge.

She stares at you, eyes glazed over in thought.

“... No.” Toriel shakes her head. “No, this isn't right. I will not fight you, my child. You do not deserve this aggression.”

Toriel is sparing you.

**???: Check.**

_ Toriel: 20 ATK, 10 DEF. Wants to become a teacher. _

**???: Spare.**

The  **FIGHT** fades away, and you heave a breath of relief.

 


	3. Snow Place Like Home

“Well, well, well.” You freeze, crunching footsteps halted as Flowers steps forward. It had snowed over the few days you spent at Toriel's, and the both of you are dressed in warmer clothes than you had been. The man's bag of tricks is hanging loosely from his side, but both hands are visible and, other than a widening of his smile, he makes no sudden movements. “Look at you! Grown enough not to need Momma anymore. Bet you feel pretty great, huh?” He grins at you. “You didn't even kill her. Really, well done. Oh, no, don't give me that look, I'm not here to do much, just pass along a message.”

You really don't want to hear this, but you feel as if you don't have much of a choice.

“Look, brat, I'll level with you. This world is a dog-eat-dog kinda place. So you didn't want to be killed by me – that's fine, I'll get there eventually. But I'm just warning you: I may not get the chance.” He laughs at your expression. “What, you think I'm the only human here that wants you dead? Nah, Monster Kid, if you just went with me, it would be over quick and easy with me getting rich and you dead enough to not realize just how wrong you were to come here. No, those people out there?” He points along the snowy road you had been following. “They'll keep you alive, yeah, but by the time they kill you, you'll be begging for death.”

You shiver in the cold.

Flowers hums. “Well, that's all. Good luck to you, brat. Hope we meet again!”

You can't say the same.

-

You sniff, dusting a few snowflakes off your coat with shaky hands. It's freezing. You're freezing. Not even a layer of fur and two layers of clothing can keep you toasty, and it probably doesn't help that whatever snow and ice you catch on your fur melts into it. You're waterlogged in at least three places and it's absolutely awful.

You miss Toriel already.

The air is still painfully crisp when you see a small stream up ahead, and the ache in your throat when you breathe does its best to remind you that water is something you desperately need. Your footsteps crunch over a large stick, nearly breaking it, and continue on to meet the iced-over wooden planks of a small bridge. Sighing out a gust of steam, you hunch over the edge and reach out a hand for the water.

Oh.

It's ice.

Great.

**???: Shouldn't there be something happening right now?**

Your eyebrows furrow. No? Why would there be? Toriel made it pretty clear before you left that not very many people visit these woods, and judging from the lack of tracks on the road, you've still got a long way to go before you reach civilization.

“Hey kid.”

**???: Oh, there he is.**

You would be asking the voice just who they think they are if the sudden newcomer didn't nearly send you into cardiac arrest. Again, you're frozen in fear (it's not your fault, the surface is full of scary people) as footsteps that definitely don't belong to you draw closer.

“Aw, c'mon, I won't bite. Aren't you supposed to say hi to new friends?” You risk a glance to the side – whoever the human is, he's grinning as if it were his last chance to smile for the rest of is life, button-sized dimples appearing at his cheeks and perfect white teeth facing you head-on. He seems overjoyed that you moved to look, and fidgets a bit before taking his hands out of his pockets. “Here, look, I'll try again. Hey kid, I've got some warm water here, if you want any?”

Curious, you fully face him. He's holding a thermos in one hand, top open and steaming. “Well, I lied, it's not water. But it's warm. How about it?” And then he  _ winks _ at you.

Carefully, you reach for the thermos. 

_ ZAP. _

“Heh,” You rub at your fingers. “Static electricity. Never gets old. Anyway, here.” Still smiling, he pushes the thermos to you, and you really have no choice but to take it. Your hands feel better almost immediately. He chuckles at your expression. “Thought you might like that. Go ahead, drink up. I've got a ton back at my station.”

You do so gratefully, downing half the container before you remember to breathe.

“Name's Sans. I'm sorta a park ranger? Not that it matters.” Satisfied, you replace the cap on Sans' thermos. An air of easy comradery surrounds the two of you as you warm from the inside. “You're a Monster, right?” He snorts. “That's great. I always thought the legends were true – but, ah, I guess it's probably a good thing I found you first.” The ranger scratches at his head, and you find yourself confused. “Well, thing is, I told my bro about those legends, and he _really_ wants to catch a Monster. I'm not so interested, of course – don't worry, he's a good guy, you'll love him. Just. It might take some time to convince him that capturing you isn't what should happen.”

What have you gotten yourself into.

“C'mon, I think I hear him coming. We're pretty near my station, so you can hide out in there for a bit.”

With that, Sans tugs the container out of your grasp and replaces it with his hand, leading you to what you assume to be his station – it sticks out against the snow, but the small building is still unusually white and flanked by black-and-yellow painted barriers on either side. He unlocks the door with practiced movements and, just as you begin to see something startlingly red moving through the trees, pushes you inside.

The small building is heated.

You think you're in heaven.

“Sup, bro?”

And you can hear what's going on. That's actually really nice.

“'Sup'? I've been looking for you for _hours_! Where have you been?”

“Around. What do you need?”

“You placed a strange rock in my station and I would like to know why!”

“I thought you said you wanted to meet Dwayne Johnson.”

“What does that have to do with-”

There's a long pause.

You can hear Sans trying to smother laughter.

**???: I love these guys. **

You find yourself agreeing wholeheartedly.

 


	4. Don't Get Cold Feet

“Hey, all good in here?” Sans taps the door with one knuckle as he opens it, only to see you bundled and snug in the stations' only chair (complete with wheels, because every station needs a wheeled chair) and curled around one of his backup thermos. The smell of – yup, that's hot chocolate – filled the small room. You look up at his entrance, grin, and hold out the container to him. “Nah, kid, I'm good. Find anything else?”

You reach around to your coat pocket and pull out a dollar store fake mustache.

“Sweet. Been waiting for someone to find my secret 'stache.” You're somehow caught between groaning and laughing, but the struggle tips towards giggly when Sans musses at your fur. “Good job, kid. All warmed up now?” You nod, and he pulls a map out of one of the brochure holders by the door. “Alright then. Les'see here... There's about half a mile between us and the nearest town – I'm guessing you wanna go there, right? Sundown's in about... three hours.” He sighs, folding the paper up and about to stuff it into one pocket when he pauses, turns, and hands it to you.

You got the  **MT. EBBOT PARK MAP** . You do the honors and stuff it into your pocket instead.

“Point is, if you wanna find a place to stay before dark, you might want to head out.” He winks again – you still can't tell what it's supposed to mean, but whatever. You nod in agreement and make your way into a standing position, burrowing one last time into the blanket you had found before letting it drop onto the chair. Sans opens the door for you, and the cold of the outside world bites at the tip of your nose.

“Oh, hey, one last thing.” Sans places a hand on your shoulder. “Could you do me a huge favor? My bro – the guy that just left – well, I told you he wants to see a monster, right?” He rubs the back of his neck, and you think you know where this is going. “He's been feeling down lately, and I'm thinking... maybe seeing you will make his day.”

You nod. It's the least you could do.

“Thanks a million, pal.” He pats your shoulder and steps aside. “And don't worry. My bro's not one to hurt anybody, so you'll be fine. I'll see you up ahead, okay?”

You wave goodbye, and with that, the station door shuts behind you.

-

As you continue forward, you notice the smell of hot chocolate and the old space heater of Sans' station clinging to you. After Flowers, you didn't expect to meet so many nice humans, but maybe your first impression of this world really had been wrong. And now you were happily crunching through the snow, on your way to meet Sans' brother, making him happy and repaying Sans' kindness in one fell swoop.

You think about visiting that station after you settle on the surface. After people stop asking you if you were really a monster and just started being friends with you instead. The area surrounding the mountain must be beautiful in the spring, and drinking various water-based substances with Sans and his brother sounds fantastic.

Your hope for the future fills you with... nothing.

You continue your happy stroll, though you feel like something's missing.

-

The first time you see Sans' brother, you figure he looks... pretty cool, actually. You've seen your fair share of odd outfits in the underground, but none of them included quite that vibrant of a cape. Taller than his brother, but also so much skinnier, it would be difficult to tell they're related if you hadn't seen them interacting just before you made an appearance. Sans (literally) looks up to his brother like the other man held the key to happiness with the taller of the two just looked excited.

“Oh my god- s-Sans, look!”

“Wassup?”

“A Monster!” Encouraged by his excitement, you give a little wave. He gasps and waves back enthusiastically. “They're so small! Are monsters supposed to be that small?”

“Pretty sure they're all sizes, bro. This one's just little.”

“Hello, tiny Monster!”

**???: He's so happy...**

Sans winks at you again, but the expression dissolves into something a little more worrying as his brother advances. “Uh, hey, bro? Maybe that's... Don't you wanna give them a proper welcome first?”

“But _Sans_! There is a Monster! Right here! In front of me!”

“I know, Pap, but uh... makes sense that they don't know how the surface works, right? Maybe we should give them a tour.”

'Pap' blinks down at his brother, grin fading only to be replaced with a smile that probably got it's energy from the actual sun. Looking at him almost makes your eyes hurt, he's so enthusiastic. “An excellent point, brother! Small Monster!” He's addressing you directly now, and oh god, that grin is blinding. “I will prepare a series of tests you must solve in order to be accustomed to surface life! Have faith! You will not face this new stretch of your journey without proper teaching as I, Papyrus, will prepare you for everything this world may throw at you!”

And with that, he leaves.

You are so confused, but it's a happy confusion?

Sans laughs at your expression. “Yeah, my bro's pretty cool, huh? Don't worry kid, I'm gonna be play moderator of this little party. You'll be alright.”

**???: You're enjoying this, huh?**

You nod to both of them.

 


End file.
